The Vikings are accustomed to players making an assault on the NFL record book. Last year, it was Adrian Peterson who came so very close to breaking Eric Dickerson’s record for rushing yards in a season. Just eight yards separated Peterson from Dickerson. The year before, it was Jared Allen making a run at a record, coming within one-half sack of Michael Strahan’s single-season mark. This season, Peterson’s goal is to shatter Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards and then surpass 2,500 yards.

Meantime, Allen said Friday he wants to take another crack at Strahan’s record of 22.5 sacks.

Who has the better chance of breaking a record, Peterson or Allen? Vikings outside linebacker Chad Greenway weighed in.

BS: Two years ago, Jared Allen came within a whisker of breaking the sack record. Last season, Adrian Peterson almost broke the rushing record. Does one of them have a better chance than the other of getting into the NFL record book?

CG: I would vote for my guy, Jared. He’s so motivated. I wouldn’t say he has a new-found spirit. He’s just really excited to be here, to be back for his last year of his contract (with the Vikings). And he’s highly motivated — not really individually but from a team perspective — to be a great leader. We’ve already seen that. We’ve seen it over the years, but I think he’s taken a stronger stance with that now. It’s certainly nice to see a guy who’s as vocal as he is take that vocal leadership role. I would take Jared in that (attempt at a league record).

BS: So you’re saying Adrian will fail in his quest?

CG: (Laughs.) No. I haven’t seen him fail too often.

BS: You had arthroscopic knee surgery in June. Will you be able to fully participate in training camp?

BS: When you look at the linebacker situation, you have Erin Henderson in the middle and (former Packer) Desmond Bishop on the outside. But nobody knows how that all will work out. Is it nice to know there’s stability at one of the spots — your spot?

CG: Keeping Erin at Mike (linebacker) is obviously a great move. It’s a tough position to learn. He handled it very well in the offseason. He’s going to be a great leader in the huddle. Marvin Mitchell, you can’t forget about him. He had probably the best camp of any linebacker last year. He took huge strides. When he got a chance to play last year, he played very well. He’s a guy you can’t forget about just because we signed Bishop. Bishop is a great player. We’re just getting to know him. The cards are all in the air. We have a lot of young guys who are hungry. It’s going to be a fun camp for us.

BS: You obviously know your position. Will you help Erin out? Does he need help?

CG: No. He’s been around for so long. He knows and understands what his role is and what he has to do. It’s an ongoing communication with all three positions and two positions in nickel. It’s just an ongoing thing you keep harvesting and keep getting better at.

BS: You often hear about how important it is for offensive linemen to be cohesive and have chemistry. You don’t hear that as much about other units.

CG: The D-line is the same way. You have to know and understand what each guy does well, what each guy does differently. It’s more of a communication at linebacker, knowing what each guy is saying and doing. By the end of camp, we’ll be strong at that.

BS: You know the position you’re playing. Do you consider yourself still ascending?

CG: I think it’s becoming smaller things now. Obviously, I know the broad spectrum of what my job (is). Now I think it’s just understanding a little bit more about situations. How can I help guys be prepared when a situation comes up? Just become more of a leader.

BS: There’s no question you will on the field in the 4-3 and when you go to just two linebackers in the nickel?

CG: That’s the plan.

BS: It’s good to know that going in, right?

CG: Exactly. That’s what I’ve done in the past, and that’s what I hope to continue to do.

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